


Incandescent

by MangoPantsu



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure, Character Development, Denial, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, F/F, Multi, POV Alternating, sassy bitches tho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-04-01
Packaged: 2018-01-10 21:53:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1164972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MangoPantsu/pseuds/MangoPantsu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A destiny never asked for was shoved onto their plates with a harsh, grating voice ordering them choke it down. Two people isolated and burdened by the very strings of Fate that threaded them together meet on a chance encounter, and venture on a quest that Akatosh Himself did not predict.</p><p>Serana and Fawn brave challenges together, small and very very big and, against all odds, unveil how much they truly need each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sought Out

 

>   
> _"Not without a shudder may the human hand reach into the mysterious urn of destiny."_ \- Friedrich Schiller
> 
>  

* * *

  
  
  
_Click._  
  
A single finger pulled the trigger, and the poison-tipped bolt flung from its cradle, finding its target's skull and burying its head inside. The vampire let out a choked noise before thudding to the ground that was as lifeless as him.  
  
That was the last one.  
  
She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding, withdrawing from the shadows. The light revealed a young Breton girl clad in black leather armor that looked a lot like something the Thieves Guild would own. Or previously owned. Her bright amber eyes scanned the cavern once, then twice for any remaining threats before sliding her crossbow into its sling. Two daedric daggers soon occupied her hands, warily posed in case she tredded across an unanticipated danger. A bridge led her to a stone structure, with a generous amount arches surrounding the middle. Her feet against the ground echoed eerily as she stepped, the only noise in the entirety of the cavern. After a quick survey yet again, she finally sheathed her dagger and studied what laid before her.  
  
It was quite a sight to see, this island of stone. The Breton had seen countless Draugr ruins in her ventures, but never anything like this. The craftsmanship was way too precise and detailed to be anything built by Draugr, or the Nords that lived before them. She removed the book she had looted from the vigilant's body and leafed through the contents. It seemed he had concluded the same thing.  
  
So was this is it? It couldn't be. The vampires patrolling this ruin weren't your average feral. They were from Harkon's Court, no doubt about it. Was he really the one to send his people down to only guard a relic?  
  
The vampires that had guarded this cavern had spoken of a prize they wouldn't return to Harkon without. No, there was something else to be discovered here. Something of significance and great value to Harkon and his cult of blood-suckers.  
  
Brushing back a strand of her hair, she narrowed her eyes upon the pedestal that stood in the middle of the structure. As she neared it, she studied the way the middle circle stood out. A button.  
  
Her eyes alit with realization. This was definitely a start. As cunning as she was, she did not miss the crimson stains on the surrounding outer part of the circle that the middle did not have. A trap, no doubt.  
  
But in an attempt to outwit the trap, she tried to press the button with her dagger to no avail. Must have a spell cast upon it, she thought. The Breton briefly remembered the bodies up the stairs. No doubt she could use one of their hands to trigger the trap. She suddenly grunted at the thought of having to lug their bodies around; the girl was many things, but patient was not among them.  
  
Her hand tentatively smoothed over the cold stone surface, and she felt the hum of magicka swirling around the object. Definitely charmed. So with a sharp intake of breath and a mental bracing of pain, she pressed her weight against the button.

  
It responded to her touch, sinking inside of thyself before a spike thrust itself out. A choked cry caught in her throat as it pierced through her skin and sank through her hand. Her knees buckled beneath her, but she managed to stay standing while she endured the pain until the spike sank back into the pedestal.

  
She jerked her hand back and clutched it to her chest while stumbling back, mouth gaping before she groaned in pain. The floor beneath her rumbled, and she looked up in time to see a purple fire erupt from the crevices of the floor. Her eyes widened, and she momentarily forgot the pain welling in her hand.  The purple flames behaved like fire but in slow motion, and when she reached out to touch it, there was no heat, only a strange buzzing sensation in her hand... The one that had not been impaled on a spike.

After binding her hand with a torn piece of fabric, the Breton examined the next thing that awaited her. The only clue she had was the single stray purple fire that spread down one of the five lines that extended from the inner circle to a wider circle around it. Her eyes lingered upon the brazier... A wild idea lit up her grim face and she bounded over to it, pushing it. It gave easily with the sound of stone scraping against stone. As it locked in place, the ground rumbled beneath her again and the fire spread. Her bright amber eyes flashed with understanding, and she jumped into action to finish the rest of the puzzle.

When she pushed the last braizer into place, the ground shook beneath her, and for a moment she was nervous of the entire thing collapsing beneath her. Her fears rang true when the floor starting sinking in on itself. A yelp escaped her thin lips despite herself as she stumbled forward while the platform formed a circle of stairs around the center of the island, where a stone structure emerged.

A giddy feeling swelled up inside of the Breton girl. This was it! It had to be it. What the vampires had been searching for, what Isran had sent her to find. A triumphant grin shone on her face, and her beauty competed with Skyrim's night sky for a moment before she let it slowly slide off her face. Her usual grimace of concentration slipped into its normal place as she approached the stone monument.

Eyeing it, the young woman reached out mentally to probe for any tricks. She was taken aback by the immense power that radiated from it. It only just now swamped her, and she could feel the weight pressing against her and... a distant whispering sound that spoke in a language she recognized but couldn't make out. Her eyes closed and she furrowed her eyebrows, her hand pressing to the cold stone.

There was something else, too...

  
 _Rrrrrrrrrr...._

Underneath all that...

_Hrrrrrr_

Her eyes flew open as it hit her and she pushed herself away from the moving monolith, which had caused the noise. She yanked her daggers from their sheaths, whisper-hissing a profanity while she watched the monolith reveal...

 

A girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> In the next chapter, this adventurer is finally introduced formally!... Well, sort of. Serana, it's your time to shine and show how completely socially handicapped our little girl is!
> 
> \----
> 
> WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I FINALLY FINISHED IT WOOOOO  
> chapter ONE doNE!!1111
> 
> omg dude i had to force myself to write this but then i ended up having some fun so w/e  
> if you think it sucked i guarantee it will get better just read the next chapter, that's where the real fun starts.
> 
> Till next time!
> 
> -MP, a cat writing a fanfic
> 
>  
> 
> amazing


	2. Rise and Shine!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for Serana to wakey-wakey! Too bad the first thing she's waking up to is a dagger in her face.

> _"When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow."_ \- Ursula K. Le Guin  
>   
>   
>   
> 

* * *

  
  
The blackness of her slumber shattered around her. The walls that had entombed her no longer supported held her up, and she couldn't catch herself in time; the vampire fell to her hands and knees - rather harshly, too. A loud ringing noise choked any sensible thoughts, and when she tried to draw in a breath to steady her mind, her lungs _burned_.  
  
Oh gods, the _pain_. It was agony. Her hands clutched at her throat, trying to swallow her own spit in a fruitless attempt to tame the fire that scorched her throat. Her vision blurred, and she felt so unfightably weak. It didn't help that she could literally feel the hostility emitting from whoever had freed her.  
  
She slowly tilted her head back, squinting until her vision cleared enough for her to see the person.  
  
A mortal, with two daggers pointed at her. Was she insane? The vampire forced herself to remain calm before drawing in a deep breath to scent this stranger.  
  
"Stop it!" a harsh voice snapped. "Stop smelling me like a damned animal, you leech." The vampire's eyes steadied enough to see two angry amber eyes glaring down at her. So it was a girl, judging by the voice.  
  
Her tone pissed her off. Despite the aches of protest she received from her body, she carefully shifted backwards so she could sit up and calculate the threat with cool, hard eyes. The move made the mortal's eyes narrow and fingers tighten around her daggers. "But that's basically..." the vampire paused to clear her throat, "..what you think I am anyways, right?" She despised how her voice was unsteady at first, but managed to make it firm. "What a nice wake-up. Did your parents teach you manners?"  
  
Dark humor flashed on the face of her opposer, and the crude chuckle that rumbled in her throat unnerved the vampire woman like not much else could. "Nah, they skipped that much. And everything else." Her eyes narrowed again and the cruel smirk dropped from her face. "Tell me your name before I--"  
  
The vampire lunged forward in an attempt to catch this girl off guard, but it hardly worked. All she had intended to do was disarm her, but when she swatted a hand at one of the daggers, the mortal unexpectedly held tight. Suddenly shoved forward, the mortal had her pinned against the side of the stone monolith. The breath puffed out of the vampire's lungs from the impact, but it only lagged her down for a split second. As she prepared to shove the woman away, the blade of a dagger brushing over the skin of her neck made her freeze.  
  
"Alright, fine," the voice of the mortal was now smooth and silky, eyes locked with the vampire's. Their faces were so close her breath washed over the undead's face. "So I will slice your throat open."  
  
The blade began to press deeper against her skin, making her gasp out, "No!"  
  
The blade paused.  
  
"Listen, I was just trying to get the blades out of my face. If you want to murder me, go ahead." She paused for only a second, mapping out her words carefully. "But look. Kill me and you've killed one vampire. But if people are after me, there's something bigger going on." She let that digest with her captor before adding on. "I can help you find out what that is."  
  
A long drawn out moment passed before the woman stepped back, releasing her from her pin. The two women's eyes never broke away from each other, but the vampire could see the daggers still poised carefully.  
  
"Alright," the girl in leather armor mused, "I'll take the bait. But trust me, I will not hesitate to kill you if your words are honeyed." The mockingly sweet smile on her face told the vampire she was not kidding in the least bit. It dropped from her face though. "What's your name?"  
  
The beautiful vampire woman hesitated before responding. "Serana."  
  
In an act of either bravery or stupidity, the mortal sheathed her daggers, pursing her lips as she eyed the vampire with cold, assessing eyes before trailing to something behind her. "And how does one such as you, Serana, acquire an Elder Scroll?"  
  
Serana blinked once before she remembered. She'd forgotten about it briefly, having accustomed to the cosmic weight that slept with her for who-knew-how-long. "I can't say." The twitch of the mortal's lip moved the vampire to elaborate. "Look, if you could take the angry vampire hunter attitude down a notch, that would be great. I'll tell you, I just... I need to figure out where I stand. I have no earthly idea of how long I was in there, and I don't really know what's going on. Just... can you give me a break?" As Serana met the mortal's eyes, she considered using a little bit of her vampire seduction to persuade her a little more, but she felt that would earn her a dagger in the gut if the girl knew how to detect magic spells. Playing nice was the only tool Serana was fully capable of doing right now.  
  
"So, what exactly do you want me to do for you? Set up a campfire, sing you to sleep, and gently ease you into telling me about it? 'Cause babysitting a full-grown vampire that's older than me is not on my schedule," came the biting words of the mortal.  
  
"No," Serana said calmly, though she was getting irritated with this woman. She had half a mind to show her just how powerful a Daughter of Coldharbour could be, but she shushed those thoughts, deciding this mortal would be needed if she ever planned to make it back home. "I need to get home. Then, once I figure out where we all stand... I promise, on my life - er, undead life - that I'll tell you everything I know. It's not much, but..."  
  
The mortal eyed her once more, and Serana let her, though impatience burned in her stomach. She needed to go home, and more than that, she needed to feed. The fire in her lungs and throat did not subside, but rather she grew used to the pain. Not saying it didn't bother her. It really did. In fact, as she took a subtly deep gulp of breath, the scent of fresh blood on the air made the pain all too real again, and her eyes flickered down to the stained cloth binding the mortal's right hand. Serana let herself fantasize about the way the hot blood would taste sliding down her throat, the gentle moans of the mortal who would be so powerless to the vampire feeding endorphins. That would be a sight Serana would enjoy: this arrogant, haughty woman completely and utterly vulnerable and powerless against her.  
  
Her voice broke the trance, and her eyes quickly flickered back to the mortal's. "Okay. Where do you need to go?" she prompted, raising a single eyebrow.  
  
Relief washed over Serana. She would be going home! Excitement bubbled up in her, but in the next moment it was smothered by a pressing anxiety. What would await her when she returned home? What had become of her mother? Of her father? The vampire forced herself to focus on the task at hand. Those troubling thoughts, though pushed to the back of her mind, promised their return.  
  
Serana stood up straight (she had been leaning against the monolith ever since she was released from the pin) before narrowing her eyes on the mortal. If she didn't find out her name, she would forever be known as 'mortal'. "There's a castle... I... It's off the shore of Solitude. Pretty much always concealed by a bunch of clouds, bone hawks flying overhead. You know, the kind of stereotypical evil castle you really couldn't mistake for anything else." The joke was lost on the mortal; she stared back at Serana with eyes that told her she definitely didn't plan on laughing with a vampire.  
  
"If you're done trying to make jokes, I'd rather not spend any more time with you than need be, so let's get out of here," she hissed, turning from her to straighten her leather armor out.  
  
Serana took this moment while she was busy to smooth out her hair and adjust her own armor. Her hand roamed down her side to locate the familiar elven dagger, confirming it was still with her before glancing back up at the mortal. "Wanna give me a name to call you by? Or are you gonna throw a fit about how we shouldn't get acquainted, because your hatred for me and my kind burns too deeply in the embers of your soul or something like that." Sarcasm was clearly the game at hand, and Serana found no problem playing.  
  
The mortal tightened her makeshift bandage before looking up with a sniff. "Rosary."  
  
Serana raised a brow. "You mean those deadly rosary peas? That's your name?"  
  
The mortal - Rosary? - looked a little surprised. Serana briefly wondered why, but then she remembered the plant was not common at all in Skyrim. Not a lot of people would recognize the name. "My last name. That's all you really need to know," she said in a matter-of-fact voice, rather than her hostile voice she hadn't dropped this entire time. The woman adjusted her helmet - which seemed to bulge a little unnaturally - before setting off towards the other stone bridge without another word.  
  
Serana followed suit, and they walked silently together for a while. Their footsteps echoed in the cavern, singing into the silence that hung around them. The vampire didn't mind, though. She was used to it, comfortable with it. It filled her entire life, really.  
  
Suddenly Rosary broke it. "You think there's any booby traps--"  
  
The irony. She would never get to finish that sentence, because at that exact moment a giant thundering crack drowned her voice, followed by an earpiercing shriek. A gargoyle sprang from the position its faux statue state had perched, and threw itself at Rosary with claws readied.  
  
 _Oh, wonderful. Thank you, Mother,_ Serana thought as she yanked her dagger from its sheathe. "I still know how to fight!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Okay, so maybe not so formally. But you get the idea. In the next chapter: a dangerous dance with two gargoyles and a shit ton of skeletons!
> 
>  
> 
> ____
> 
>  
> 
> i had a lot more fun with this chapter, but i still ran into a big pile of "UGUGKGJKGHHGh DO I HAVE TO?" i'm seriously horrible sobs
> 
> i literally finished most of THE NIGHT i posted chapter 2 but i was like "eh lol lets bullshit around and be lazy and procrastinate." BUT TONIGHT i finally forced myself to. so woooo! thanks for all the kudos btw! 
> 
>  
> 
> -MP


	3. Keep Your Mouth Shut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A vampire and a Breton walk into a Colosseum. A Draugr Overlord takes one look at them and says "Fus ro DAH."  
> gives up on life.
> 
> The POV changes a few times in this chapter. Please comment if there's any confusion.

> _“There is something about a closet that makes a skeleton terribly restless.”_   ― John Barrymore
> 
>  

* * *

 

Shit!  
  
One of Rosary's hands dropped to her side, snatching her dagger while the other shoved the gargoyle back. It was heavy like stone, so it didn't do much, but it accomplished what the mortal wanted. She yanked her other daedric dagger from its sheathe and lashed out at the recovered gargoyle. His angry howl of pain fueled her, and she dodged the swipe of his taloned hands twice.  
  
Meanwhile, Serana felt the surge of energy heating her palm as she summoned the familiar spell to her left hand while her other yanked out the elven dagger. Aiming carefully, she threw the energy of the spell at the gargoyle, feeling the familiar rush of warmth as she absorbed his life force. As she shifted on her feet to join Rosary, another crack of stone and a shriek hit her ears.  
  
She turned just in time to see a second gargoyle hurtling towards her, and uttered a profanity before casting the spell onto her new foe.  
  
It didn't take long for Rosary to finish the first gargoyle, and soon she was at Serana's side, helping her defeat it in half the time the first one was defeated. It fell to the ground with a gargle, and both girls simultaneously exhaled.  
  
"Not bad. For a mortal," Serana mused, sheathing her dagger. A snort was all she got in response.  
  
They had both came out of the battle without any serious injuries, though they definitely got a few nicks in on them. Rosary had a scratch on her neck that had blood dribbling from it from one of the claws that caught her skin. Serana, on the other hand, already had fresh pink skin where she was hurt. Such was a blessing of being a vampire; insanely fast healing.

Oh man, but that _smell_. Serana stared with a watering mouth at the cut on the mortal's neck. Rich, thick, fresh, warm crimson blood. Everything in her screamed at her to force Rosary to the ground and take her fill of the succulent liquid as she wanted - no, _needed_. The Breton would only struggle for a little while before succumbing to the mind-numbing endorphins...

The thought only become more and more alluring, and she subconsciously felt herself taking a step towards the mortal as her eyes remained locked on the trail of blood that slid down her neck. Her tongue ran over her lips, she could practically taste--

A bright flash appearing in Rosary's hands stopped her in her tracks. The vampire blinked in surprise, watching as the mortal lifted her glowing hand up and light flooded from her hand, circling around her body. Serana's eyes flickered to her neck in despair as the cut closed up. The Breton opened her eyes and shook her hand to dismiss the magicka. Her eyes immediately locked with Serana's. That hard hostility was back in her eyes as she lifted a hand slowly to wipe the remaining blood off her neck.

The moment dragged on, and they stared each other down for a while. Suddenly, Rosary interrupted the silence. "Shall we?" she said in a mockingly sweet voice before turning on her heel and heading up a set of nearby stairs. Agitation heated Serana's body, and she fantasized about ripping the mortal's head off while following close behind her. They ran into a few skeletons and Draugr in the next room, but they were easily taken care of. It wasn't until they made it to a giant arena-looking room that things got a little complicated and...weird.

"Be quiet and be careful," Rosary murmured. They stood at the top of the stairs near the entry way, surveying the giant room. A large fire burned in the middle of the room, but despite its size it could hardly illuminate anything but the ground area where it was located. "There's something hiding in here..."

Serana blinked and stared at the mortal for a moment, unsure of what she meant. But she dismissed it, and made sure to indeed keep her footsteps light like the Breton's. They skirted along the edges of the colosseum, keeping close to the walls. It was all going well until Serana glanced down and saw a bear trap.. that Rosary was just about to step into. 

"Watch out!" she exclaimed, yanking her back just as her foot was about to press down against the trigger. Rosary fell against her, and her weight made Serana stumble just some before attempting to help her back upright, but the girl thrashed against her, swatting away her arms as she stood up by herself. "Get your hands off me!" she snapped, whipping around to face the vampire.

Serana felt anger burn inside of her. Was this mortal _thick_? "Excuse you. My hands"- she held them up as she emphasized the word -"just saved your sorry mortal butt from losing a foot," she snapped in return, her voice ringing around the cavernous colosseum. As Rosary opened her mouth to talk she suddenly shut it and glanced to the side. Serana suddenly heard it too; the creak of bones. 

"Gods damn it," the mortal whispered as she unsheathed her blades. Something had Rosary rattled, the vampire noted to herself. She hadn't looked this jumpy the last two times they fought.

Well, that wasn't what she needed to be concerned about at the very moment. She looked to see quite a few number of armored skeletons raising from thrones seated around the giant fire. "Looks like we have a fight on our hands," she murmured, feeling the thrum of energy buzzing in her left hand as she summoned her vampiric drain and unsheathed her elven dagger with her right. Just as she moved to take a step forward, a loud boom sounded from the other side of the room. But neither moved fast enough. They both saw the form of energy racing at them and were unable to avoid the force that threw them against the wall and to the ground. Serana blinked in shock. _Was that what she thought it was?_

"C'mon, vampire!" Rosary called to break Serana out of her trance as she got to her feet. She did not seem phased at all. No, she just seemed infuriated. Serana pushed herself to her feet, still feeling that energy cling around the edges of her aura and joined the mortal in the battle against the skeletons and draugr. They managed to strike down a few easy skeletons, but more were coming and they didn't seem as eager to go down as easy.

They ended up heading different directions. Some enemies followed Serana, some followed Physalis. Amidst burying her dagger into one of her foe's ancient skulls, Serana found herself having fun. Adrenaline pumped in her body as she continued to fend off the angry undead. She was on a roll.

_"Fuuuus..."_

The thrill of the battle flared up inside of her. She felt like she could take on an entire army of skele--

_"..ro dah!"_

A weight barreled into her side unexpectedly, and she fell to the ground with a loud grunt. Immediately Rosary's scent washed over her before another crackling boom was heard. Serana watched the energy form rip through the air just above them. In the next second the mortal rolled off of her. "Get up!" she shouted, and Serana scrambled hurriedly to her feet.

A particularly better-armored Draugr hovered not far from them, his glowing blue eyes locked on Physalis as he moved forward. The grey muscles moved around his rotted mouth as he parted his mouth and sucked in a breath.

 _"Fus ro dah!"_

The energy was hurled at Rosary again. The force made her stumble back before losing her footing and falling onto her back. Serana watched as she opened her mouth and closed it and opened it again, like tasting the energy it had thrust at her.

An angry fire suddenly flared up in the mortal's green eyes. And, if the vampire's eyes did not deceive her, Rosary's pupils were not round, but... slitted? She opened her mouth and sucked in a deep breath as if to say something, but the look in her eyes faltered and she clamped her mouth shut so fast she ended up biting her tongue.

Serana jumped back to her senses as she saw the Draugr moving towards her guide, who was still on the ground. "H-Hey!" the vampire suddenly blurted out. "Come fight the one who's standing!" she baited, waving her arms a little to get its attention. The Draugr paused and turned his soulless glowing eyes upon her... before suddenly charging at her. With a "gods!" she just barely dodged the great sword that nearly came down on her skull, but didn't duck in time to miss a second offense. The blade struck through her armor and she gasped as the sharp edge pierced the skin of her arm. An unnatural chill seized her and nearly immobilized her, a chill that confirmed her suspicions of the skeleton having a charmed sword.

 _Shit_ , she thought dejectedly as her legs gave way and she fell to her knees, turning her head to see him raising his sword above his head. Serana couldn't move; the frost in her bones seized her, and her thirst was to blame. She couldn't summon enough energy from her frozen muscles to work through the spell. _I'm gonna die here without even living long enough to see..._

"Grrraaah!" cried a voice behind the Draugr, and Serana's eyes widened as a dagger was rammed into its back and through its ribs. He made a choking nose and fell to the ground, almost on top of Serana. The vampire saw the mortal she hadn't seen come up behind him, and watched as she slammed her foot down on the Draugr's body and yanked her dagger out with a loud grunt. His body broke beneath her foot, and the light went out of those haunting eye sockets.

Her eyes drifted up to the face of the mortal which contorted with anger as she glared down at the corpse. She muttered something low, and Serana could maybe make out something like "-ey -lon". 

The cold finally ebbed away, and Serana gradually tried out her muscles by standing up. It was good sign she wasn't falling right back down. The vampire lowered her hand, feeling the magicka fade away while she sheathed her dagger. An eerie silence filled the cavern, and out of the corner of her eye she watched as the mortal wiped her dagger clean.

"Thanks," Serana said suddenly as she stared at the fire before glancing over at the mortal. Rosary furrowed her brows, not meeting her eyes nor responding. A shiver ran down the vampire's back. Did she regret saving her life?

Damn. She had only just woken up and she already had two debts to pay, going on three, to this vampire slayer. It was really getting out of hand. She _had_   to feed if she had any desire to stay alive for the trek home.

Their fighting had lead them both to the center of the colosseum, with an undying fire roaring. As Serana dusted herself off, a grimace found its way to her face as she saw the two charred corpses. Indistinguishable as to who, but it was definitely a humanoid: their flame-eaten bodies forever locked into a kneeling position.

The tip of the vampire's boots nudged one of them until it fell over, still trapped in its submissive pose. At least it was out of the flames now. Sort of. When the vampire noticed the elongated silence, she lifted her head to glance around.

The mortal was nowhere in sight.

A sense of panic almost ensued, and Serana had to choke back thoughts like _She abandoned me!_ and _How am I gonna get home?!_ in order to calm herself down. Rosary just probably wandered off. "Hey?" she called, unnerved by the way her voice bounced in the giant room. When there wasn't a response, she pressed on the edges of her ethereal being to feel out the life presence of the girl.

Not far away at all, just up the stairs was where the mortal's auric body drifted, and Serana started trekking up the stairs, calling out the mortal's name though expecting no answer.

"There you are!" Serana sighed in relief as she recognized the black armor-clad body of her guide, "I thought you had abandoned..." Her voice trailed off, blinking once as she studied the monument in front of them.

It was a curved stone wall of sorts, with a stone platform beneath it. Huge, too, with an intricate carving of a dragon head facing down. Below that, it was just plain, smooth stone with more carving, except this seemed to be done by a less careful hand. As she stepped onto the dramatically lit platform and approached it, her glowing orange eyes widening in recognition.

Dovahzul!

Yes, dovahzul, the language of the dragons. Serana had seen only etched versions of them in the many books she read, the author either admitting to being completely clueless as to what it means or inventing a wild theory about why these things - word walls, she faintly remembered - existed all over Skyrim.

"This is amazing. I've only ever read about these. It's surreal seeing one up close. I..." Serana found herself trailing off again as she glanced to the side. Rosary wasn't listening to her at all. No, not even a little bit.

An enrapt, absorbed look was upon the mortal's face as she exhaled slowly, approaching the wall slowly. Her eyes were transfixed upon one set of these characters. Serana's eyes trailed to it, though she saw nothing special about it.

But no eyes could see what Rosary was seeing. No other living being could experience what she was experiencing.

The word was lit up brilliantly, tossing off its bluish white light radiantly. A whispering filled her ears, and the same chanting voices that had led her here rang loudly. As soon as she started approaching it, the light thrown off by the word suddenly directing itself at her. An otherworldly feeling hit her, making her gasp as she felt her very soul staring through they eyes of her body at the word. Memorizing it, recognizing it.

Understanding it.

The chants grew louder, and suddenly the world around her blackened all except for those carefully carved letters into the wall, which brightened so much they burned her corneas. It hit her.

The world briefly exploded in celebratory, those chanting voices now crying out harmoniously, victoriously as the word gave off one more brilliant shine before fading away while the world recolored herself. Then she came crashing down back to the physical plane.

She gasped, steadying herself with the wall as she tried to get a grip on the spinning world around her. Closing her eyes, Rosary sucked in a deep breath and attempted to calm down her racing heart. She distinctly felt a layer cold sweat coating her skin. After catching her breath, she exhaled heavily and opened her eyes once more. Her hand, which she had pressed against the stone to keep herself stable, had ironically landed against the word that she had just learned. " _Gaan_ ," she pronounced it in a gentle, nearly inaudible whisper, tracing her fingers down the carved letters of Dovahzul.

"Rosary?" Serana's voice broke through the silence, and suddenly the Breton bristled. She shoved away from the wall, her eyes widening as she stared at it in what appeared to be an angry disbelief. The mortal pivoted on her heel and stalked away swiftly from the word wall as she clenched her fists. The vampire stared after before groaning in agitation and jogging a little to catch up with her.

The two girls moved quickly up the stairs and through another hallway. The stone around them became less extravagant and Serana now saw a strong light beaming ahead of them, and a cool, crisp air played with her short dark brown hair. A giddiness overwhelmed the vampire girl as she realized this was the end of the cave. She couldn't wait to breathe air that wasn't a thousand years old again! A short burst of laughter escaped her lips as she followed Rosary out the narrow exit, resisting the urge to push past the mortal to get out.

They emerged, and a bright night sky welcomed them. Serana's eyes raked over the area greedily before sucking in a long, deep breath and exhaling it with another laugh. "It feels so good to breathe again," she sighed happily, taking a few steps forward. A single frosty pine towered above her, and she brushed a hand over its bark almost appreciatively before turning to look back at Rosary.

"Thank you. So much."

Her glowing orange eyes followed the Breton's, and when she glanced up at the sky, she could feel her heart thud in her chest. A full moon stared down at them, illuminating their surroundings. The sky was dark, and the stars above them shone brighter than the vampire could ever remember seeing them. The sight made her smile.

Serana knew they still had a long way to go - and no idea at all on what direction they'd be going - but for now, escaping that crypt was good enough for her. One step at a time, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been such a long time since I've added onto this, but with ESO coming out soon, I got a spark of muse. Woo!  
> I love Serana and Fawn deeply. They're so perf.
> 
> I'm not sure when the next chapter will come out, but thanks to all who are patient!
> 
> -love forever, this cat with a computer and cat paws


End file.
